Visit the Australian Museum in Sydney
Visit a working museum in the heart of Sydney to discover First Nations cultures, our collection of Australian dinosaurs, and the deadliest of down under spiders.
Nature, science and culture meet at Australia’s first museum
The Australian Museum is in the centre of Sydney city, opposite Hyde Park. It is easy to get to, accessible and perfect to visit whether it is sunny or raining. Open from 10am to 5pm Monday to Sunday, and open late until 9pm on Wednesdays, plan your visit to the Australian Museum and discover the extraordinary exhibitions on display.
What is the Australian Museum?
You can discover the natural history and culture of Australia and the Pacific, right here in Sydney.
The Australian Museum is about more than the past. It’s a working museum where scientists, researchers and curators explore the wonders of our world - and you can too.
Experience the newly renovated Australian Museum for free.
Enjoy expanded galleries, more of our collection on display, transformed gathering spaces, a new shop, a second café, a renovated Members Lounge and updated amenities.
Visit Australia’s first museum in the heart of Sydney to discover Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, our collection of Australian dinosaurs, and the deadliest of down under animals. See you at the Australian Museum.
What are the highlights of the Australian Museum?
Visit us to explore the Southern Hemisphere’s largest collection of natural, cultural and historical objects and specimens at Australia’s first museum.
There’s a lot to see at the Australian Museum. The highlights include:
First Nations cultures in Garrigarrang (Sea Country).
Getting up close with dinosaurs and Australian animals on Level 2.
The Westpac Long Gallery, Australia’s first gallery, showcases 100 treasures from our collections alongside the stories of 100 of Australia’s most-influential people.
Shop for beautiful objects inspired by our collections. All proceeds help fund our science, education and exhibitions programs.
Learn about First Nations culture
Experience Earth’s oldest continuous living culture in our First Nations gallery. Garrigarrang (Sea Country) takes visitors on a journey to understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and lived experiences.
Explore the Dauma & Garom ghost net sculptures as part of our permanent Indigenous Australians exhibition space. The sculptures are made from discarded fishing nets that litter the waters off northern Australia. Indigenous artists and community members sculpt them to tell traditional stories and highlight the damage ghost nets cause.
Visit mahn (fisherwoman), a gallery installation featuring Aunty Phyllis Stewart and Uncle Steven Russell that honours Sydney’s first fisherwomen. mahn features a sculptural piece made from native Lomandra grass, a film, and more than 1000 archaeological objects.
Australian Museum First Nations tours
Aboriginal guides lead Waranara First Nations tours. The guides weave personal stories of country and culture through a tour of the First Nations Gallery
Email the Bookings Office to make a group booking: Group.Bookings@australian.museum
What Australian animals can I see at the Museum?
Extinct Australians: Up close with dinosaurs and Tasmanian tigers
Visit the Muttaburrasaurus and the gigantic diprotodon when you explore the secrets of Australia’s Dinosaur Gallery and the surviving Australia collection. Get up close to our Tasmanian tiger and learn more about when they roamed our earth.
Dangerous Australians: Funnel Webs and Redback spiders
Australia has 10,000 species of spiders, but despite their deadly reputation, only a few are harmful to humans. See the deadly Sydney Funnel Web and female Redback up close.
The duck-billed platypus
Discover the most mysterious of Australian animals - the duck-billed platypus. This animal is so unusual, many European scientists thought it was a fake.
Exhibition highlights
200 Treasures of the Australian Museum
The Westpac Long Gallery is home to 200 Treasures of the Australian Museum. Australia’s first museum gallery showcases the objects, ideas and people who have shaped our nation. Our Aussie treasures include the world’s purest gold nugget - and our Princess of Pop Music, Kylie Minogue.
Over 400 animals under one roof!
Come and see life on earth in all its glorious diversity in our Wild Planet exhibition. In Wild Planet you will come face to face with nature’s giants: an elephant, a rhinoceros, a giraffe, a lion, a tiger and a bear. Marvel at a Sperm Whale skeleton, and see the largest bird and moth on Earth. You will also see extinct species like the Thylacine, and learn why preserving biodiversity is so important.
Try to allow at least 2-3 hours to explore the full wonders of Australian nature and First Nations culture.
On a tight schedule and only have an hour? Visit the First Nations Galleries, Dinsoaurs and Surviving Australia exhibitions.
Where to find us
The Australian Museum building is on the corner of College Street and William Street in central Sydney. It is across the road from Hyde Park and opposite St Mary's Cathedral.
Getting here by public transport
Sydney Trip Planner
Use the Opal Travel or Sydney Trip Planner mobile apps to plan your trip to the Museum on public transport.
Trains
The nearest train stations are St James, Museum and Town Hall. All these train stations are around a 7-minute walk from the Museum.
Buses
Hop off your bus as it arrives in the city centre near Hyde Park or Town Hall. It is around a 7-minute walk to the Museum, walking east along Park Street towards Kings Cross.
Hop-on Hop-off Tour Buses
The Sydney and Bondi Big Bus tour stops opposite the Museum entrance on William Street.
Parking for the Australian Museum
There is currently no parking available at the Museum. We recommend parking at nearby car parks and metered parking in surrounding streets. Nearby Car parking stations are located at:
- Wilson Parking, 70 Riley Street, Darlinghurst NSW
- Wilson Parking, The Domain, 1 St Mary’s Road
- To receive a Wilson Parking discount, pre-book online and use the promo code MUSEUM.
To celebrate the Australian Museum re-opening, general admission will be free for adults and children for a limited time. We’re excited to offer even more opportunity for visitors to experience the new Australian Museum.
Special exhibition and event tickets can be purchased online or with cash, eftpos or credit card at the Admissions desk in Crystal Hall, Ground Floor. Credit card surcharges may apply.
Please read our Ticket Terms and Conditions for further information.
The Australian Museum wants everyone to be able to access our exhibits.
Mobility and getting around
The main entrance includes an access ramp for wheelchairs and mobility scooters.
The museum also has:
- ramps through all the exhibits
- lifts to take you between floors
- automatic doors
Wheelchairs are available to use when you visit. Please ask at the admissions desk at the main entrance.
Assistance animals
Guide dogs and companion dogs are welcome at the Australian Museum. You can get a water bowl for your animal at the Admissions Desk on the ground floor.
Hearing loops
Hearing loops are installed at the Australian Museum.
Tours
The Australian Museum designs special programs for visitors and their families with different needs. Ask about a tactile and sensory tour, daily orientation tours, or an audio description tour.
Accessible parking
There is no accessible parking on site at the Museum. The nearest accessible parking is metered car parking in streets near the Museum.
Enacon Parking on Cathedral Street has 11 accessible spots. It is a 3-minute walk from the Museum with no steps.
Download the map of the Australian Museum to find your way around.
It is easy to access the Museum from Sydney’s central city area, located opposite Hyde Park on the corner of College and William Streets.
The bookings team can help your tour group get the most from your time at the Australian Museum. Choose the exhibits you’d love to see with our expert curators and staff.
To organise a group tour, please send an email to group.bookings@australian.museum
Australian Museum Shop
Remember your visit with a souvenir from the Australian Museum Shop. Buy unique Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artworks, Australian gemstones, and designer gifts from local artists.
The Shop is on the ground floor and is open during Museum hours.
You can pay at the shop with cash (Australian dollars), or with all major debit and credit cards.
Food and drinks
Enjoy a coffee alongside a sandwich, fruit salad or snack at our family-friendly kiosk, the Billabong Waterhole.
Billabong Waterhole, located on Level 2, offers easy, family-friendly light meals, snacks, cold drinks, tea and coffee. Take away or eat in.
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